Nearly 50 assaults on prison staff were recorded at HMP High Down as attacks on workers at three Surrey prisons increased dramatically during the past year.

A total of 63 attacks on jail employees were reported overall in 2013 at HMP Send in Ripley, HMP Coldingley in Bisley and HMP High Down, near Banstead.

Office of National Statistic figures analysed by Trinity Mirror's Data Journalism Unit show that in 2013 there were 47 incidents at High Down, compared to 41 the year before.

At Send prison there were six incidents reported, the highest annual figure going back to 2000, compared to one assault reported in 2012.

At Coldingley there were 10 incidents, the highest figure at the prison since the turn of the century, which was double the 2012 figure, when five incidents were reported.

Prisons Minister, Andrew Selous, told Get Surrey: “Any kind of violence against our hardworking prison officers is abhorrent and unacceptable. They do an excellent job and their safety and security is of paramount importance.

“We are developing a wider violence reduction strategy, led by an experienced prison governor, to address violence at its root cause."

To reduce attacks in the future Mr Selous said: “In the meantime we continue to use technology like body worn cameras and are working with the police and CPS to ensure those who attack prison staff are prosecuted and spend longer behind bars.”

The report pointed out that prisoners were kept in their cells for long periods of time, education and library access was dwindling and there was a serious increase in complaints from inmates.

On one occasion a prisoner attempted suicide and was almost successful due to a lack of observation.

Nationally there were 3,266 incidents of attacks on its staff in England and Wales in 2013, meaning there were nearly nine every day.

More than 2,100 of these were carried out by men over the age of 21 and 164 of them were by female prisoners.

Cases of staff being assaulted are now at their highest level since 2007.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "Prisons across the UK will be introducing a new protocol for assaults to prison staff.

"Prisons will also be introducing an action plan, to help deal with violent offenders and will introduce guidance on how to deal with the prisoners, with the hope of combating the attack before it happens."